[Candice]

Yesterday was 38 in the morning and about 62 in the afternoon so I went home after work and picked up my moto and took the long way to the gym. I want to know does anyone else ever find themselves in neutral when they thought they were in first. It is really the worst thing, I hate it and it’s happened to me not too often but often enough that I feel very annoyed when it does happen. I was making a right in a right hand only type turn lane and there was a little fender bender in the way but cars/bikes could still get around and I came to a stop to wait my turn to go around this mess and I put in first but no, I didn’t, I was in neutral so when I turned on the gas to take my turn I went – NOWHERE! Then I got all nervous and then I couldn’t get the thing in first because I guess I have to let go of the clutch in order to get it to go to first and then I was heading towards the curb – YIKES. Anyways, this all took place in about 30 seconds maybe and I finally got it into first and I was on my way but I looked like a newbie FOR SURE! I really hope I am not the only person out there that this has happened to. Otherwise I had a good ride though – FUN.

[megaspaz]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news… you are the only one this has happened to…

[DK]

You could have been in 1st thinking you were in neutral…

[bigguybbr]

Every now and again I think I’ve shifted from first into second but accidentally hit neutral. The key is just to stay composed and don’t panic and you’ll be fine.

[SantaCruzRider]

I’ve had this happen once or twice while getting used to a new bike — though luckily never resulted in anything more than a quick overrev (which I probably then repeated a couple of times to make sure any observers thought I was being bad-a–, as opposed to thinking I was lame).

One thing to keep in mind is that to get down to first, you have to pass through neutral. On some bikes, this is a noticablly longer throw than the light tap in takes to shift down through 6th-2nd. On my bike, a light downward tap brings in the next lowest gear, but 2nd to 1st is more like stepping on the shifter.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, you may also want to check your clutch adjustment to ensure that it’s disengaging properly. If it’s not, it may be trying to make to shift twice to get from 2nd to 1st. More mechanically inclined folks on this board may be able to offer better advice in that arena.

[Gary856]

Yup, still happens to me now and then. To physically verify that I’m really in first (instead of neutral, or even second some times), I would get back into the friction zone to move the bike forward a couple of inches. That way I know for sure if the bike is ready to take off from a stop.

[Clay Dowling]

It happens. I did it last weekend. No bid deal, just tap it down into position.

And with a little practice you can take off from second. A couple weeks back I pulled a slow u-turn and didn’t realize until it was headed back the way I came that I’d done it in second.

[eternal05]

This may be a slightly different issue, but if your transmission doesn’t “stick” when you shift gears you’re missing shifts. Even on the most finicky transmissions, you can usually avoid missing shifts by keeping pressure on the shift lever until the clutch lever is released. The increase in tension on transmission components when the clutch is engaged will keep the bike in bear. So in recap:

1) Pull in clutch,

2) Pull up (or push down) the shift lever and hold it,

3) Let out clutch, THEN release shift lever.

[Author]

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